Toys, toys

I've been trying to take pictures of toys laying around because if I find a nice photo it makes me feel less out of control about the total chaos that I am always battling around here. Mess can look nice too...right? That's what I've been trying to convince my clean and neat self so that we can live compatibly in the same body. Because clean and neat will never occur in this house for more than five minutes...and that's o.k.

Domino is Eco- Friendly

I just got my March issue of Domino and I was excited to see that it was their "green" issue. I thought it might be hard for a consumer magazine to pull that off, but I really enjoyed looking at all the eco-friendly items they found and the articles were pretty good too. I'm not sure that my budget can withstand a total turn to living green but I am excited to look up some the new websites that were mentioned just to see if one day I might be able to afford something that will make my carbon footprint a little bit smaller...
like these cute eco-friendly low-fire clay and lead/cadmium free glazed coffee cups from Terra Keramik (which I absolutely love.)


Or these organic cloth napkins, which would help me cut down on all the paper ones we use. From Ortolan Organic.




We're considering switching out our lightbulbs to these LED's because they're not made with mercury like the current "green" bulbs are. I'm also thinking of getting a smart strip surge protecter to cut down on our computer's draining "vampire power."




And then there are all the natural beauty products out there that are appealing because they seem good for you (which somewhat justifies the need for beauty products) and the packaging is always simple, clean and screams "buy me!"
Check out Farmaesthetics, Burt's Bees, Aedes, Jurlique, and Acquarella Polish.
And last, there were tons of great places to find natural cleaning products. I already clean with vinegar and lemon juice, but I'm glad to find some good sources for laundry detergent, furniture polish, and other multipurpose cleaners.
For other cleaning tools, try Bioclean Home, 3R Living and Casabella.
GOoooo Green! (if you can afford to.)

Multitasking in the New Year

New Years resolutions have been roving through my thoughts, yet they all seem overwhelming considering I had so much on my plate last year. After taking several days easy over the holidays, I have found it a huge challenge to get myself going again in an efficient manner. And I certainly have to be efficient because I seem to have the tendency to cram so much into my day and then add some more! I decided to write down a typical day at home (I have two days a week out for Bible study, so those days are different) so that I can see where I need to utilize some time management and so I can take some added pressure off if I observe that I have been pulling my weight. (image from flickr)


A Typical At Home Day.
(There is no added things in this schedule like making someone dinner or helping Seth with some business or art related thing or doing a commission. I have to drop a normal thing to get those things done, I think..)
6:45 Rise and shine. Get the kids fed and off to school.
7:35 Eat breakfast while my little buddy Emet eats frozen blueberries.
7:45 Do my Bible study.
8:30 Catch up on emails, do a blog.
9:15 Do house work/play with Emet
10:00 Make phone calls
11:00 Make Emet's lunch/ do dishes or just sit and play with Emet
11:30-12:30 Exercise (I clean and put Emet down for his nap during commercials)
12:35 Eat lunch (I'm starving by this time)
12:55 Take a shower (a luxurious part of the day)
1:30-2:30 Work on jewelry
2:35 Go pick up the boys from school (and do carpools)
3:15 get home and make snacks
3:40 Help the kids get started on homework/ go through all the school papers/ help with homework
4:30 Start prepping dinner/ finish up a jewelry project
5:00 Make dinner
5:35 Eat dinner
6:10 Help kids clean up their stuff/ read chapters out loud from their books
7:00 get the kids situated with a quiet activity such as reading on their own or coloring/ clean up the kitchen
8:00 Lights out for the boys/ I crash and watch some TV (during commercials I catch up on magazines)
9:30 Pack kids lunches/Get ready for bed
10:00 Get in bed and read a chapter of my book.
10:30 sleep....................
O.K. That's it. When I'm doing it, it seems like a lot. But now that I have written it down it doesn't seem like so much. Hmmm, it had the opposite effect that I hoped it would have.
Well, how do you get it all done? What's your favorite multitasking tip?

It's Time For A Change

I think I need a new laundry basket. This is what happens when you carry great piles of dirty garments down the stairs and mounds of folds back up.

I love all of the baskets pictured here. I just have to make sure that whatever I end up getting, it can easily be toted from one level to the next.
Image form Apartment Therapy's top ten laundry baskets


So, I will probably end up getting something like this
Crunch can from the Container Store

Storage Sale

We are trying to redo our old downstairs bedroom (that is currently a storeroom) into our studio/guestroom. Every time I go in there, I am utterly overwhelmed. So, with the thought that I might be a bit productive, I have been researching storage materials hoping that I might be inspired to actually work. Low and behold I found these boxes on sale at DWR!

Overcast Day

Today my kids are having a play-date with a friend, and I really need to clean the bathrooms. I think I am in a funk because it is so overcast outside. I just feel that I can't see straight when there isn't proper lighting. I don't FEEL like cleaning - but I can't live in this mess either. O.k..... I'm just going to DO IT!
(P.S. The picture is from a previous play-date when it was beautifully sunny and the house was already clean. I wish it looked like that today! sigh...)